Turquoise blue water, snow-white beaches lined with palm trees, a fantastic underwater world and breathtaking sunsets await you in this uniquely beautiful island world.
Sun worshipers and water sports enthusiasts will get their money’s worth on a Maldives holiday, as will those seeking peace and quiet or honeymooners. And nowhere else can a romantic Robinson Crusoe feeling be combined so wonderfully with all the amenities of a modern luxury resort.
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Discover the enchanting islands in the Indian Ocean with NationalTurk and leave everyday life behind. In our travel guide we have put together all the important tips and information for a perfect holiday in the Maldives.
Maldives – Travel to the fascinating coral islands
Did you know that the word Maldives means “chain of islands” and that the Maldives consists of 1196 coral islands? Several islands form a so-called atoll together with the reef wreath and lagoon. Over a period of thousands of years, billions of coral polyps have created the 26 large and small atolls of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. Most islands are uninhabited oases, while locals populate 200 islands and nearly 100 serve as holiday resorts. You can circumnavigate many of the islands on foot in just 15 to 30 minutes.
The Maldives extend over a proud 871 kilometers south-west of India and Sri Lanka. With a land area of only 298 square kilometers, the picturesque island archipelago is one of the smallest countries on earth, while the water area of over 107,000 square kilometers is larger than Austria. Around 123,000 inhabitants, a third of the total population, live on the island of Malé, which is only around 2.74 square kilometers in size, in the south of the North Malé Atoll. Here is also the capital of the same name and the only real city in the Maldives, which you should definitely pay a visit to.
Enjoy with all senses
Immerse yourself in the last paradise on earth and let the beauty of nature work its magic on you. The tranquility and vastness of the Indian Ocean creates a feeling of endless freedom. When you are on vacation with your partner, do you dream of a romantic sunset for two on the beach? It is also a kind of luxury to feel the fine sand between your toes all day long. On the so-called barefoot islands, for example, nobody has to wear shoes. Even in the bars and restaurants, guests can move “without shoes” and feel the pleasant warmth under the soles of their feet. And you can also indulge in culinary delights during your Maldives holiday. Enjoy Maldivian specialties such as breadfruit or fresh fish, refined with exotic spices.
Fascinating underwater world of the Maldives
With its crystal clear and clean water, the coral reefs of the Maldives form one of the most valuable underwater reserves in the world – an Eldorado for marine animals and divers alike. Most resorts have their own diving schools, and many even have their own house reef, just a few meters from shore for diving and snorkeling. Protected by the coral, more than 700 species of fish live here, including surgeonfish and boxfish, as well as the endangered hawksbill sea turtle.
On a tour you can also meet a very special sea creature – the manta ray. There is hardly a more beautiful appearance than this mysterious being when it glides majestically through the sea, flapping its wings. Off the island of Medivaru in the southwest of the South Malé Atoll, there is a “manta guarantee” between January and March.
Good to know / Maldives Travel Guide
The inhabitants of the Maldives are predominantly Sunni Muslims, Islam is the sole state religion. Incidentally, Maldivians are only permitted as staff on the pure holiday islands, while vacationers only have limited access to the islands of the locals – mostly via guided tours.
Despite their natural beauty with tropical vegetation, the islands have a very good infrastructure. Since there is no central power supply, each island has its own electricity source: Generators produce the electricity for what is usually the only hotel on an island. Even if the European connections usually fit into the sockets, you should have an adapter in your luggage to be on the safe side.
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In the Maldives, the clock hands are four hours ahead of Central European Time. There is only a three-hour difference to local summer time. However, some islands have set their own time zone – it’s about an hour later than other islands. The reason for this is a very practical one: the guests of the islands wished for a later sunset.
Browse through our Maldives travel guide and be inspired by information on beaches, activities, food & drink, top hotels, arrival and travel times as well as our insider tips. NationalTurk wishes you an unforgettable holiday in the Maldives!
Best travel time Maldives / Tropical bathing weather all year round
Experience how the fine, warm sand trickles through your fingers and every ray of sunshine lures you into the turquoise blue water of the lagoon.
The Maldives welcome holidaymakers all year round with pleasant temperatures and fantastic bathing spots. NationalTurk has researched what else you need for your perfect holiday in addition to a bathing suit and swimming trunks, what climate you can expect and when is the best time to travel to the Maldives.
Whether you need a break from the German winter or want to give your summer the icing on the cake – the island chain in the Indian Ocean is one of the paradisiacal year-round travel destinations.
There is always high humidity of up to 80 percent and the thermometer knows no seasons – a climate to which the forests of the Maldives owe their lush and exotic flora and fauna. Maldives climate: Light, airy clothing In addition to the special vegetation, the constant Maldives climate also has advantages for the packing list: light, airy clothing is perfectly sufficient for the feel-good factor. For evenings in exclusive restaurants and to protect yourself from mosquitoes, pack long trousers or a longer skirt.
A rain poncho should be in your suitcase if you are traveling to the south of the Maldives or visiting the island during the southwest monsoon. Because even if the climate remains almost the same, it tends to rain less in the north of the archipelago than in the south.
From around May to October, the southwest monsoon brings more rain, while the northeast monsoon brings only rare and very short-lasting downpours between January and April.
Spring is the best time to travel to the Maldives: high-season lovers enjoy cloudless skies, clear water and particularly fresh air. Between January and April you don’t have time for vacation?
Then benefit from the southwest monsoon. It may bring a little more rain to the islands, but you’ll pay significantly less for accommodation. By the way: Nobody on the Maldives has to be afraid of tropical storms, they usually pass the island chain at large distances.
Maldives: Beach and landscape to dream of
The last rays of the sun occasionally touch the whitecaps of the sea and give it its exuberant blaze of colour. Soft lounge music and the relaxing sound of the sea are the only sounds lapping the palm-fringed beach, and with a chilled cocktail in hand, you’ll enjoy the wonderful backdrop. Let NationalTurk take you to the impressive island landscape in the Indian Ocean and find your dream beach in the Maldives.
Lonely, kilometer-long beaches without a soul far and wide, there are no longer any more in this world, do you think? Then let the Maldives surprise you. Nature conservation and environmental awareness are very important to the locals. Beaches where parasols line up after parasols are searched in vain for holidaymakers here.
Instead, guests can expect a mixture of luxury and respect for nature. The finest, white sand shines out at you for miles, sparkling with the radiant blue of the sky and the crystal-clear turquoise of the ocean. In general, the entire landscape on the Maldives consists mainly of three colors – blue, white and the bright green of the tropical flora. The colors have a calming and relaxing effect on the human eye, which is flooded with many stimuli in everyday life at home.
Vacation on the Maldives: plenty of beach and sun
Whether you have booked your stay in the south or north, you will find the fine, white sandy beach on all the hotel islands of the Maldives. Often the only differences are the length of the beaches and the bathing opportunities at low tide. The offshore sandbanks are particularly charming and can be reached on foot at low tide and by swimming at high tide. Families appreciate the lagoons, whose gently sloping banks are ideal water playgrounds for the little ones.
The hotel island of Kanuhura in the north-east of the Lhaviyani Atoll is always a hit. Beautiful lagoons offer you relaxing bathing days, and the approximately 40 diving spots attract adventurers around the island, which is also home to two shipwrecks and a manta area. The recently renovated resort offers guests modern, comfortable accommodation and plenty of space for refreshing privacy through dense, lush vegetation. The neighboring islands Jehunuhura and Masleggihuraa are in the immediate vicinity and surprise with numerous private bays and culinary experiences.
Incomparable beaches
Similar fantastic beaches and unspoilt nature await you west of the Male Atoll on the Ari Atoll, the second largest ring of atolls in the Maldives. If you are looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and want to treat yourself to pure luxury, you are in good hands here. The impression that the islands make at first sight is downright picturesque, but this postcard idyll can be felt and experienced. Especially clear water turns every bathing excursion into a unique experience.
The hotel islands of Velavaru in Dhaalu Atoll and Velassaru in South Male Atoll are famous for their beautiful beaches and inviting lagoons. On both islands you will immediately dive into a completely new world that will make you forget any tension in an instant. The exciting swarm of dozens of exotic schools of fish, the graceful underwater gardens of delicate corals and the lush fauna and flora on land invite you to experience the time in a new and intensive way and to completely decelerate.
Stunning island scenery
The Republic of the Maldives is a so-called island state, which consists of several atolls with a total of 1196 islands in the Indian Ocean and belongs to the Asian continent. Locals and vacationers usually do not live in the same islands, a distinction is made between “Local Islands” for the Maldivians and “Resort Islands” for vacationers. But there are also individual islands and atolls that are so lonely and natural that you can feel like Robinson Crusoe on them.
Numerous house reefs or extensive outer reefs protect the individual islands and at the same time serve as the perfect location for vacationers to discover the fascinating underwater world of the Indian Ocean with diving equipment and snorkels. Unique shipwrecks raise the pulse when diving and reveal many a secret from their past.
Newly developed in the Maldives: the landscape of the Noonu Atoll
This also happens here from time to time: atolls are discovered and developed for holidaymakers in an environmentally friendly way. An example is the Noonu Atoll in the north. Above all, the wonderful nature is enchanting here, which, with densely grown bushes and trees, allows its guests a lot of freedom and secluded, quiet moments. In any case, it is the flora and fauna of the Maldives that fascinates visitors again and again.
So it is not the amount of different plant species that is decisive for their magic, but their exquisite beauty is unparalleled in other parts of the world. In the immediate vicinity of the beaches you can often find the man-high scaevola bushes, whose white flowers at the ends of the branches can almost be overlooked. As soon as the flowers open, they give off a wonderful fragrance. The Maldivians, on the other hand, process the wood of the plant into firewood.
With a height of about two meters, the bushes are in the best of company: mango trees, breadfruit trees, rubber trees or banana trees form beautiful green ensembles against the radiant blue of the sky. Not to be forgotten, of course, are the tall coconut palms that you will find everywhere. The sweet, refreshing fruits grow here at a dizzying height of up to 30 meters, which make the heat in the tropics a lot more pleasant when enjoyed and also make a significant contribution to the economy of the Maldives. But be careful: as soon as the fruits of the palm tree ripen, they automatically fall to the ground. It is therefore better never to lie down near the palm trees at harvest time.
Maldives – Interesting Places; Exciting activities & excursions
Of course, the focus of the leisure activities on the individual hotel islands is above all water sports: whether diving, surfing, sailing, water skiing or fishing – there is guaranteed to be something for everyone. Would you like to explore other islands or the capital Malé? Then there are various excursions available to you. Discover the best things to do in the Maldives with NationalTurk. Interesting places and varied activities are waiting for you!
Maldives – Water Activities
Surfing allows you to fully expose yourself to the elements of nature. Although the wind in the Maldives is not as strong as in the world’s famous surfing spots, this makes it much easier to get started. Many resorts therefore offer their own surf school with courses over several days or weeks.
Even with sailing or an external engine on board, one or the other exciting story is quickly experienced. Especially when you set course for the most beautiful and interesting places in the Maldives with an experienced captain on board who knows the island chain like the back of his hand and has a captivating narration for every location.
With so much open water, what could be more wonderful than whizzing across the sea on water skis? It is best to use the early morning hours for this, because then the water surface is still calm and lies still in front of you. By the way, be careful when you dash over the reefs: take good care of the delicate corals, they are extremely sensitive.
Would you rather explore the Maldives in a more original way? In a traditional dhoni maybe? The elongated wooden boats with the triangular sails or motor are a typical means of transport for the locals. Riding them has a romantic quality all of its own: the boats aren’t particularly deep in the water and the skippers navigate them unerringly through the fragile coral gardens, giving you a mesmerizing view from the boat.
Another way to enjoy the unique variety of dazzling coral is to rent a kayak and cruise around the islands at your own pace. All the special features of the filigree underwater gardens can be clearly seen through the crystal-clear water.
Excursions – Discover Maldives from island to island
It doesn’t just keep you on your own hotel island anymore? Then island hopping would be the right thing for you: You can easily get from one island to the next by boat or seaplane and explore the special features of each island for yourself. We recommend booking a tour directly from Germany, because a little advance planning can save you a lot of money. Your island tour should definitely include a visit to the capital Malé – or you can start right there.
In the lively capital you can get to know the everyday life and history of the locals down to the last detail. From Malé, continue to Baa Atoll to Dusit Thani, a luxury Thai-managed resort. The azure blue lagoon and top-class culinary delights make this resort absolutely unique. There is also a fitness studio with a personal trainer and yoga teacher for active and sports-loving guests. If you’re looking to slow down, you might find a suitable holiday book in the hotel’s own library.
Not far from Malé is the Biyadhoo Island Resort, which is particularly popular with divers and offers a particularly wide lagoon on the west side for swimming. Here, too, chefs will spoil you with delicacies from Asian or international cuisine, and you can relax with sports or in the hotel’s charming reading corner.
Favorite sport: fishing
Fishing is one of the most popular activities in the Maldives. For deep-sea fishing, small groups take motor boats out to sea and join forces to pull thresher sharks, wahoo, tuna, mahi-mahi or big-headed trevally ashore.
Harpooning and fishing with a rod is not allowed on the islands. The most common way of fishing in the Maldives is therefore trolling, also known as trolling. You drag large wobblers or bait fish about 100 meters behind the boat on the water surface. This method is sometimes so popular because it promises good catches.
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